{"id":54722,"date":"2018-11-29T20:44:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T02:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=54722"},"modified":"2022-10-01T20:45:57","modified_gmt":"2022-10-02T01:45:57","slug":"false-dichotomies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/false-dichotomies\/","title":{"rendered":"False Dichotomies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<p>by Gardner Hall<\/p>\n<p>A false dichotomy is treating two different principles or ideas as mutually exclusive when they are not, or an issue or group of issues as the only options when there are others. In a controversy, the use of false dichotomies often involves a demand to choose one principle or the other when both are useful or even required! Examples &#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We&#8217;re saved by grace, not by obedience.&#8221; However, both are essential elements depending on the context of salvation being discussed, provision, or acceptance. I saw this error in reverse on a meme a few years ago &#8211; &#8220;Noah was saved by works, not by grace.&#8221; It made me grimace.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We should preach love and not authority.&#8221;\u00a0 \u00a0Why not both? Isn&#8217;t respect for authority a product of love?<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We shouldn&#8217;t deal with what I think are picky issues, but only with what I think are weightier.&#8221; Jesus says, &#8220;<em>These are the things you should have done without neglecting the others<\/em>&#8221; (Matthew 23:23).<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Do you want freedom or law?&#8221; Much depends on the context here, but generally, there is no freedom without some kind of law or restraint. You wouldn&#8217;t be free to drive in New York City without traffic laws. You wouldn&#8217;t be free to drive very long anywhere without brakes!<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Men should control their minds so that women don&#8217;t have to worry about scanty clothing.&#8221; Why can&#8217;t both men and women do their part to help each other in this area? Isn&#8217;t that the way of love? (Yes, I was raked over the coals with this one not long ago.)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;1 Timothy 2:9 deals with luxurious overdressing, not with scanty clothing.&#8221; It deals with both when you apply the attitudes that are to accompany the clothing.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I love my child too much to punish him.&#8221; But if you love him you will punish him (Proverbs 13:24).<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Preachers need to preach expository lessons, not topical.&#8221; Why not both?<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We need to preach Jesus and not issues.&#8221; This one is often given with a scolding tone &#8211; &#8220;Enough of this talk about issues! While souls are dying in the world, here we are talking about using a piano in worship&#8221; (or another similar issue). Though it is true that preaching about the Lordship of Jesus and his love needs to be taught first (something that admittedly often hasn&#8217;t happened), loving Jesus also means being concerned about presumption and other dangers that affect God&#8217;s people. Jesus addressed various issues among the Jews.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Though it may be legitimate to make comparisons such as those above to emphasize priorities, they shouldn&#8217;t leave the impression that important ideas and concepts as mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Gardner Hall A false dichotomy is treating two different principles or ideas as mutually exclusive when they are not, or an issue or group of issues as the only options when there are others. In a controversy, the use of false dichotomies often involves a demand to choose one principle or the other when&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1405,36],"class_list":["post-54722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-logic","tag-reasoning"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47543,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/concern-about-biblical-authority\/","url_meta":{"origin":54722,"position":0},"title":"Concern About Biblical Authority","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Why be concerned about biblical authority? For this one simple reason: \"Your God reigns!\" (Isaiah 52:7). If we aren't concerned about authority, then we place ourselves in God's position of reigning. It really is just that simple. Jesus is Head (Colossians 1:18). We aren't. Does stressing authority\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57578,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-condemnation-of-homosexuality-universally-immoral\/","url_meta":{"origin":54722,"position":1},"title":"Is the Condemnation of Homosexuality Universally Immoral?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 2, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer I know. Sounds like an odd question, but it's one posed to an atheist recently based on all the condemnation of those who believe homosexual practice is sinful. He was objecting to the idea of universal, objective morality. In the process of this, he asked what kind\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40759,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-people-find-no-place-for-repentance\/","url_meta":{"origin":54722,"position":2},"title":"When People Find No Place for Repentance","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry W. Benton If grace so freely covers all sin without repentance, why was Paul so concerned that he warned night and day with tears about people in the church teaching false doctrine? I have a hard time reading Paul's warnings to Timothy and come away with the modern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67902,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/real-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":54722,"position":3},"title":"Real Faith","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Biblical faith is not mere belief. It is trust, but it is more than that. It is conviction, loyalty, faithfulness, allegiance, and commitment. To say that we ought to trust God and have faith is not to say that we sit back and do nothing. That is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87375,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/idle-words-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":54722,"position":4},"title":"Idle Words (Norman)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Morris Norman via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 1, 31 March 1991 \"And I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89481,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-false-gospel-is-like-american-cheese\/","url_meta":{"origin":54722,"position":5},"title":"A False Gospel Is Like American Cheese","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall Let's begin with a question you may have never considered. Is American Cheese real cheese? Personally, I joke that American cheese is both an insult to cheese and an insult to being an American. But am I right? Is American cheese real cheese? According to the FDA,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/american-cheese-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54722\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}